Clement W. Payton
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Clement Wattson Payton, DFC
(13 April 1897—2 October 1918) was an English World War I flying ace
credited with 11 official victories.
, Staffordshire, England. He resided at "Westfield", Torquay
, England.
in November 1917. After training, he was posted to 10 Naval Squadron on 31 March 1918. He awoke the next morning in the brand new Royal Air Force.
Payton served as a Sopwith Camel
fighter pilot in France. His first success came on 20 May 1918, when he drove down a German Albatros D.V
fighter plane out of control over Menen
, Belgium. The next day, he teamed with squadronmates Solomon Clifford Joseph
and Albert Leslie Jones to destroy a German observation balloon
at Pont Riquen. On 26 May, another Albatros D.V fell under his guns. The following day, he teamed with Lawrence Coombes
in driving down a Pfalz D.III
fighter over Bailleul
.
On 1 June 1918, he again teamed with Coombes; this time, they shared in the destruction of a German two-seater reconnaissance plane, and Payton joined Coombes in acedom. On 15 June, Payton drove down an Albatros D.V out of action.
Payton did not score again until 11 August 1918, when he began a string of five destructions of the German's new fighter, the Fokker D.VII
, including a shared win with Ivan Couper Sanderson. The last of these wins, on 1 October 1918, left Payton with a tally of a shared destruction of a balloon, shared victory in two destructions of enemy planes, solo destructions of five enemy fighters, and three enemy planes driven down out of control.
Clement Wattson Payton was killed in action
on 2 October 1918 after winning the Distinguished Flying Cross
. He was downed by ground fire while bombing an enemy supply train in the vicinity of Courtrai. He is buried in Plot II. B. 6, Harlebeck New British Cemetery, Harlebeck, Belgium.
He was also posthumously awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre
on 15 July 1919.
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(13 April 1897—2 October 1918) was an English World War I flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with 11 official victories.
Early life
Clement Wattson Payton was born to Elizabeth Croydon and Joseph Wattson Payton on 13 April 1897. He was born in WalsallWalsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Staffordshire, England. He resided at "Westfield", Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, England.
World War I
Payton joined the Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
in November 1917. After training, he was posted to 10 Naval Squadron on 31 March 1918. He awoke the next morning in the brand new Royal Air Force.
Payton served as a Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
fighter pilot in France. His first success came on 20 May 1918, when he drove down a German Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
fighter plane out of control over Menen
Menen
Menen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413...
, Belgium. The next day, he teamed with squadronmates Solomon Clifford Joseph
Solomon Clifford Joseph
Captain Solomon Clifford Joseph, DFC, was a flying ace for the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. He was credited with thirteen confirmed aerial victories.-World War I:...
and Albert Leslie Jones to destroy a German observation balloon
Observation balloon
Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today....
at Pont Riquen. On 26 May, another Albatros D.V fell under his guns. The following day, he teamed with Lawrence Coombes
Lawrence Coombes (aviator)
Captain Lawrence Percival Coombes began his career as a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.He joined the Royal Naval Air Service in July 1917. He was posted originally to No. 12 Squadron RNAS, but was transferred into No. 10 Squadron RNAS a couple of weeks later...
in driving down a Pfalz D.III
Pfalz D.III
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...
fighter over Bailleul
Bailleul
- France :*Bailleul, Nord, in the Nord département*Bailleul, Orne, in the Orne département*Bailleul, Somme, in the Somme département*Bailleul-aux-Cornailles, in the Pas-de-Calais département*Bailleul-la-Vallée, in the Eure département...
.
On 1 June 1918, he again teamed with Coombes; this time, they shared in the destruction of a German two-seater reconnaissance plane, and Payton joined Coombes in acedom. On 15 June, Payton drove down an Albatros D.V out of action.
Payton did not score again until 11 August 1918, when he began a string of five destructions of the German's new fighter, the Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
, including a shared win with Ivan Couper Sanderson. The last of these wins, on 1 October 1918, left Payton with a tally of a shared destruction of a balloon, shared victory in two destructions of enemy planes, solo destructions of five enemy fighters, and three enemy planes driven down out of control.
Clement Wattson Payton was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
on 2 October 1918 after winning the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
. He was downed by ground fire while bombing an enemy supply train in the vicinity of Courtrai. He is buried in Plot II. B. 6, Harlebeck New British Cemetery, Harlebeck, Belgium.
Legacy
His Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted two months after his death, on 3 December 1918: "A gallant and skilful pilot who has himself destroyed two enemy machines and driven down two out of control. Assisted by other pilots, he has also accounted for four others. On 23 August, in a bombing raid, one of our machines, compelled to descend owing to engine trouble, was heavily engaged by anti-aircraft fire. Observing this, Lt. Payton, with great courage, attacked the hostile batteries at a very low altitude, silencing several of them.He was also posthumously awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
on 15 July 1919.